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Chairman’s Message

Welcome to the SMiRT 23 conference!

For only the second time in its history SMiRT is coming to the UK in August 2015 and we aim to make it a meeting to remember – both for the technical stimulation it will provide and the warm welcome you can expect in the vibrant city of Manchester. The conference will be based in the fantastic Lowry Centre – a very modern architectural masterpiece in Salford Quays. The environment will be thought-provoking and inspirational!

One of our themes for SMiRT 23 is “Using existing challenges to champion the Next Generation”. If you are a student or within ten years of starting your professional career, look out for the opportunity of being considered for the Early Career Award when registering (see below for more information).

There will be a full week of important talks from major industry figures, in addition to the wealth of paper sessions and workshops. Themes identified already include workshops on nuclear applications of graphite and high temperature assessment, new build, small modular reactors (SMRs) and standard designs. We expect to follow up previous SMiRT initiatives on flooding hazard post Fukushima and, in line with our theme on encouraging the next generation, analyst qualification and benchmarking.

Manchester is an excellent destination. We will be suggesting a range of social activities, so please keep an eye on the website for more details.

We look forward sincerely to welcoming you in Manchester for SMiRT 23 – August 10th to 14th 2015.

Dave ShepherdConference ChairmanSMiRT 23

The Early Career Award

This is an award aimed at students, engineers and scientists within ten years of starting their nuclear engineering or research career. It will be awarded to the individual who presents the paper that is considered to have the most merit in terms of scientific interest and quality. The final decision will be made by the Local Organising Committee based on advice and guidance from the ISC.

The winner will be invited to provide an extended paper in the special edition of Nuclear Engineering and Design Journal, receive a cash prize of £600 (pounds sterling) and complimentary registration to SMiRT24. The award will be presented at the SMiRT23 closing ceremony.

Candidates will be invited to be considered for this award during the final paper submission and registration process which will open in late 2014. The call for abstracts however is open now, so please create an account and upload your abstracts before the 31st October 2014 deadline.

The Thomas Jaeger Lecture

This special lecture, named after Dr Thomas A Jaeger who the founded the SMiRT Conference in 1971, is the most prestigious plenary delivered during the event. We are delighted to announce that Professor Bob Ainsworth from the University of Manchester will be delivering the lecture to open the SMiRT 23 conference on 10th August 2015.

Thomas Jaeger harboured the idea of holding a conference to discuss Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology for a number of years, and finally in 1971 his idea became a reality when the very first SMiRT conference took place at the Congress Hall in Berlin.

Dr Jaeger’s extremely valuable contribution to the nuclear industry did not stop there. In 1965 he also founded a journal specifically aimed at nuclear structures called the Nuclear Engineering and Design Journal (NED), which is still viewed as one of the most highly regarded nuclear publications to date, and one which SMiRT 23 is incredibly proud to have an affiliation with.

It is a real testament to Dr Jaeger’s passion for the industry that 44 years on, the conference and the journal he founded are still highly respected avenues of engagement within the nuclear industry.

Further information on the history of the SMiRT Conferences can be found here:

http://www.iasmirt.org/doc/smirt-history.pdf

Source:’A Short History of SMiRT’ by Bruno A Boley, compiled for SMiRT 10 , August 1989

Dr Thomas A Jaeger5th July 1929 – 21st August 1980

Special Edition of Nuclear Engineering and Design (NED)

We are delighted to announce that the scientific committee of SMiRT 23 are working in co-operation with the editors of NED to edit a special edition of this prestigious journal. Selected papers will be identified during the conference and the authors will be invited to submit extended versions for peer reviewed publication.